Should Working Professionals Take Time to Go Back to School?

It used to be that a single bout of education could carry a professional for a single career. After all, it’s not like the average education is short. From kindergarten through a masters or doctorate, most professionals spend a minimum of 12-15 years in focused, guided learning. By the time a young adult reached the summit of their personal learning development, they had a specialized knowledge that allowed them a certain mastery within a limited professional field. For many years this worked just fine.

But then the world started to change faster and faster. Where a single course of education used to be enough to carry the average person (or even the above-average person) through a successful 40 year career, most industries are in a state of constant evolution. The career you enter, upon graduating from higher education institutions of today, will not be the career you will inhabit 10 years from now, much less 40. The whole conversation of what higher education can be, and how it can be of the most use to real working people, is changing all the time.

For professional adults, it’s important to constantly be adding to knowledge and skills required for the job. To help accommodate this personal growth, Harvard Business School is expanding its offerings to professionals, thinkers, and lifelong learners of all ages. Through a comprehensive business course that unfolds over 8 weeks, bright professionals from all over the world will come together for transformative learning which will inform the careers they go back to. In generations past, it seemed that to leave a job for more education was something that no one could afford to do. Today, it seems more like it’s something that professionals can’t afford not to do. By taking time to get the best modular education available, from the best business school on the planet, you’ll continue to grow in your knowledge and skills your whole career long.

Dana Davis focuses on small business and the use of gifts to show appreciation in relationships. She researches gifts of all kinds and especially personalized and engraved executive gifts for ExecGiftsBlog.com.

Comments

Great insights Dana! Though there are a lot of ways to learn new things, going back to a formal school is a great way to learn new skills and expand your horizon.George would love you to read ..Solving The Pallet Problem

very good blog post. I liked your way of presenting the things. I am also a professional graduate and i agree with your opinion. I am a freelance writer of professional resume writing service. This gives online resume to all professionals. Thanks for sharing very useful post.

Started by studying english literature. When I got my degree found work as content manager for different type of website. I discovered web and fall in love with SEO and SEM. Then, I prepared diploma on software and software and language of computer to perfectionize my knwoledge. After that, I prepared a dgree of communication. Right now, I use internet to keep in date.Hassana would love you to read ..Welcome to Bioadorates

Yes, but do you feel you should go into debt to get degrees? Most content managers do not have college degrees and do not need them. They need a strong command of grammar, spelling, and writing – but that can be obtained many ways and not just by going to college.Gail Gardner would love you to read ..Prevent PR Disaster by Monitoring Your Brand BEFORE Crises Happen!

Spot on, Gail! Education is a privilege that lets you find better job opportunities for you upon graduation. However, if you already have established yourself firmly in the industry, I don’t think you need to pursue another course just because.

From experience, I am taking up an MA on Literature, a course that has nothing to do with content marketing at all. Originally, I wanted to add this as a feather on my cap and probably to open the door for teaching in the future. However, after years of struggling with work and school balance, I’ve come to a conclusion that taking up an MA is a mistake. I’m not saying that nobody should get an MA, but if your reason is just for accomplishment’s sake, then you shouldn’t take up a second education, especially if your priority is to be the best marketer/writer/blogger in your industry.

College works well for some people, but it is not the only way to learn new skills. This is especially true for anyone who can’t afford to pay cash. If the desired career requires a degree, then get one. If you just want a career that pays well, there are many excellent training courses that will better equip someone to immediately get paid work.Gail Gardner would love you to read ..Get Answers to All Your #Smallbiz #SEO and #Blogging Questions Mon 11/9/15 on Inbound.org

I agree wholeheartedly. While corporations do push for advanced degrees or make it sound like you can never get a job without one, that is not what I have experienced in real life. The most brilliant Engineer I know only went to college one semester (to get his Mother to quit bugging him to go to college). One employer would not hire him full time because he didn’t have an engineering degree, but they hired him to do the engineering their degreed engineers were unable to do. He did finally land a position as an Engineer even without that degree.

Companies often use “you need a higher degree” as a way to keep employees happy who want promotions. Instead of being honest with them, they tell them to go get another degree which can take years going to night school when they actually have no intention of promoting them even after they get it.

The same managers who refused to promote people who had bachelors degrees until they had masters kept trying to promote me when I only had an A.A. in music. What matters is not degrees, or how many hours you put in – what matters is RESULTS – what you actually accomplish.Gail Gardner would love you to read ..Prevent PR Disaster by Monitoring Your Brand BEFORE Crises Happen!

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